Lions got a reality check against Bills. How they respond will determine how far they can go

DETROIT — Most teams, even contenders, could use a reality check at some point during a season. They are not uncommon in the NFL. Some happen early, capable of helping the 53 guys in a locker room collect themselves before things snowball. Some happen at midseason when enough time has passed to see the bigger picture. And some happen later, propelling teams to a postseason run.

The Detroit Lions got one on Sunday, in a 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills. What they do with it will be telling.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow, but at least we know now where we stack up against one of the AFC’s best teams,” head coach Dan Campbell said Sunday. “And it’s not good enough. Not today, it’s not.”

Campbell took the blame for this one. That should come as a surprise to no one. Detroit has lost two games this season, and both times he’s redirected criticism toward his team and placed it on himself. This time, for his team’s slow start, in one of the most anticipated matchups this season.

This game was billed as a potential Super Bowl preview. It pitted two of the league’s best — the 12-1 Lions vs. the 10-3 Bills — against one another in Detroit. With only a handful of games left in the regular season, it was as close to a measuring stick game as Detroit would see the rest of the way. A potential look at a team that might await them on the other side come February.

When the Bills won the toss and deferred, the Lions couldn’t afford to play into their hands. This game was about points, with two defenses reeling of late. The Lions needed a prolonged drive — particularly with a heavy dose of its rushing attack — to keep the Buffalo offense off the field, letting them know they would be the enforcers.

In some games, you need to set the tone and dictate how the day is going to go. In a potential Super Bowl preview, the Bills did. The Lions did not.

What we saw was Jared Goff unbuckling his chin strap and jogging to the sideline, after an ugly three-and-out on Detroit’s opening possession. Three plays, no yards, punt. That gave the ball back to the Bills just 58 seconds into the game. Then, the MVP front-runner took center stage.

Allen and the Buffalo offense looked ready to seize the game and never look back. They operated with a calm and collected swagger that made you think this was theirs to lose. It felt like every time they lined up for a first down, they were picking up five or six yards, leading to manageable pickups. It felt like they were going to score a touchdown every time they took the field.

Those are the kinds of tells that can let you know you’re going to be able to do whatever you want. The Lions know the feeling well. Just not on this Sunday.

“I just feel like we didn’t play at the same level that that team did today,” Campbell said. “That’s how I feel, and that’s why, honestly, I put this on me. I didn’t, I just didn’t feel like I had them ready to go, not like we’ve been. You can get away with, maybe if you’re not quite all the way to a 10, but not against the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs or Green Bay Packers, Minnesota, Philadelphia — whoever they are. It’s not going to be good enough, and it wasn’t good enough today.”

Allen and the Bills would score touchdowns on their first three drives of the day, building a solid lead as Detroit’s offense played catch-up through the air. They did the best they could, with Goff completing 38 of his 58 pass attempts for 494 yards and five touchdowns, but that’s not typically a winning recipe for the Lions. It usually indicates a shootout or a lack of rushing success. This time, it was both.

As much as the Lions would’ve liked to get the ground game going, trailing early put them in a hole they simply couldn’t climb out of. They had to abandon it. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were held to a combined 35 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Buffalo deserves credit for winning at the line of scrimmage, against an offensive line that typically doesn’t get tossed around the way it did Sunday. If the Lions were able to sustain drives with their run game instead of throwing it 58 times, they could have limited Allen’s number of possessions, leading to a more controlled game. That didn’t happen.

Instead, Allen used his mobility and alien-like arm strength to extend plays and essentially force a limping Detroit defense to play backyard football all day long. That’s a game you don’t want to play with Allen. He’ll make you wanna grab your ball and go home.

The Bills finished with 48 points, 559 yards, averaged 8.2 yards per play and rushed for a whopping 197 yards. It was easily Detroit’s worst defensive performance of the season. Buffalo moved the ball with so much efficiency that Campbell felt compelled to try an onside kick while down 10 with 12 minutes left in the game, just to try to steal a possession for his offense. If a Bills player had fallen on the onside try, you could maybe prevent them from running off serious clock (like Buffalo did on its next possession) and hold them to a field goal. Instead, Mack Hollis batted the ball to himself and returned it to Detroit’s 5-yard line, setting up another Bills touchdown.

The ball didn’t bounce their way in this game.

“I just thought we’d get the possession,” Campbell said of the onside kick attempt. “I thought we were going to get that ball. It was one of (Jake) Bates’ best kicks that I’ve seen him have. That was a big kicker at the end, you know, that thing took a good jump on us and Hollins made a heck of a play on it. And, you know, obviously, now sitting here hindsight after them taking it down to the 3-yard line, yeah, I wish I wouldn’t have done that. But it is what it is.”

Making matters worse, an already-thin Lions defense could be even thinner after Sunday’s loss. Star defensive tackle Alim McNeill left the game after landing awkwardly on a play. He was visibly frustrated walking off the field and was spotted with trainers before heading into the blue medical tent. The Lions later announced that he would be ruled out with a knee injury. Cornerback Carlton Davis was evaluated for a concussion and did not return after suffering a jaw injury. Campbell said he’ll know more about both tomorrow, but said he doesn’t feel good about either player at this time.

“Normally if I’m like saying ‘I don’t feel good,’ that means not good for the rest of the year,” Campbell said. “So, don’t feel good about it.”

Entering Sunday, the city of Detroit hadn’t seen its NFL franchise lose since mid-September. And yet, it feels like we’ve reached a pivotal point in the season. It’s worth dissecting after a game like this.

The Lions (12-2) now have the same record as the Eagles (12-2). The Vikings could join them with a win over the Bears on Monday night. They have work to do before the end of the season and, quite frankly, can’t avoid a slip-up from here on out. Both teams are lurking.

The injuries continue to pile up. McNeill and Davis would be massive losses if they’re done for the season. It feels like we’ve said that about five or six different players, and there are only so many more left standing. This isn’t the same defense that was holding teams under 20 points every week. Many of the faces deployed out there would go unnoticed walking the streets of Detroit. It’s been a nightmare season on the injury front defensively.

At the same time, let’s take a step back here. The Lions have four wins against other teams currently occupying playoff spots in the NFC — the Vikings (1-0), Packers (2-0) and Rams (1-0). Starting 12-1 and winning 11 straight, with all the injuries they suffered, is as impressive a feat as we’ve seen this year. It was unlikely the Lions were going to ride into the playoffs on a 15-game winning streak. They were probably due for a loss.

As for seeding and the NFC North race — that second win over the Packers gave the Lions much-needed breathing room, lessening the blow of a potential letdown vs. the Bills. Because of that win, the Lions and Eagles are tied for first in the NFC, with Detroit remaining in pole position. If the Lions win out against the Bears, 49ers and Vikings, they can still secure the No. 1 seed, even if the Eagles win out, too. The same thing goes for the NFC North race vs. the Vikings. Win all three and you win the division. They have to think of this as a three-game season.

Losing to the Bills by six, even with everything that’s happened isn’t worth abandoning ship. The Lions won’t have to face Josh Allen every week. If these teams meet again this season, it will be in the Super Bowl. The Lions shouldn’t lose sleep over this game or a potential rematch in February. They need to focus on what’s next.

“We’ll be just fine,” Goff said. “I’m sure there will be a ton of stuff written about the sky falling, but no, internally, we’re good. … We would’ve loved to win every game out, all the way through the Super Bowl, and I hope we can look back on this one as a good learning lesson for us and move on and use some of the stuff that we learned in this game to help us win these next three before we hit the playoffs.”

The Lions believe they’re battle-tested. Well, they’re about to face their biggest battle yet — a three-game stretch to accomplish their regular-season goals.

What they do from here will tell us a lot about the team they ultimately are.

(Photo of Jared Goff: Mike Mulholland / Getty Images)